If you’re in a rush and need some last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) advice, here’s a quick round-up of what you need to know about Gameweek 29.
WHEN’S THE FPL GAMEWEEK 29 DEADLINE?
All transfers and team selections need to be done by 13:30 GMT on Saturday 16 March.
SHOULD YOU FREE HIT OR TAKE A POINTS HIT?
On this FA Cup weekend, only eight teams will be participating in the league. Such a big Blank Gameweek is traditionally a popular time for FPL managers to activate their Free Hit chip – a squad of players for one week only.
However, not much stands out amongst these fixtures – especially in defence. That’s why some will instead risk getting by on just eight or nine players, saving this chip for later on.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 29 Free Hit guide – Pros and cons
- READ MORE: FPL Q&A – Taking Gameweek 29 points hits + best Free Hit punts
Taking a four- or eight-point hit to replace inactive assets with active ones could help out, knowing that appearance points alone will partly pay this off.
BEST PLAYERS + DIFFERENTIALS
When deciding whether or not to Free Hit, managers will assess how many of the week’s most enticing targets are already owned.
Son Heung-min (£10.0m) travels to Fulham on the back of a 17-point haul at Aston Villa, with Ivan Toney (£8.2m) away at Burnley and attacking wing-back Alfie Doughty (£4.7m) hosting Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) and James Maddison (£8.0m) are in form.
Of course, the most exciting part about Free Hit usage is arguably the chance to take one-week punts on barely-owned players that could fire you up the rankings and mini-leagues. Differentials like Anthony Elanga (£5.1m), David Datro Fofana (£5.0m) and Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) have been looked at.
We’ve cobbled together two drafts in our Free Hit guide, one template and one differential.
FREE HIT DILEMMAS
While many of your Free Hit picks may, er, pick themselves, there’s likely to be a spot or two up for grabs.
We’ve put together some head-to-head articles below, looking at some potential dilemmas Fantasy managers may have.
- FPL Gameweek 29 Free Hit dilemmas: Udogie v Porro
- FPL Gameweek 29 Free Hit dilemmas: Bowen v Kudus
- FPL Gameweek 29 Free Hit dilemmas: The ‘best’ third forward
WATKINS INJURY
Yet Thursday night brought another twist. This season’s top points scorer Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) suffered a bad cut early in Aston Villa’s win over Ajax. He was then forced off after just 33 minutes.
“Of course he was asking us to change him but it was because he has a cut. Hopefully for Sunday, he is going to be available.” – Unai Emery on Ollie Watkins, to Villa TV
But early fears of a knee ligament injury were quickly dampened and he may even make Sunday’s league game.
Similarly, there was early panic over Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon (£6.1m) on Monday night. Again, long-term worries soon whittled down to almost nothing, meaning owners aren’t forced into a sale. Not that Gordon would’ve played in Blank Gameweek 29 either way.
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 29 CAPTAIN
With Erling Haaland (£14.3m) and Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) absent from league duties and no Double Gameweek action either, some genuine gains can be made from selecting the right captain.
Son Heung-min is the recommended armband recipient of our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm, with Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney nearby.
He’s also the leader in our captain poll and the nominee from Captain Sensible writer Hibbo.
TEAM REVEALS
- Tom Freeman’s Free Hit team for FPL Gameweek 29
- FPL General’s Gameweek 29 team, transfers + Wildcard plan
SCOUT PICKS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – unsurprisingly backs the promising Spurs and Brentford fixtures.
It also tips West Ham United v Aston Villa to be a high-scoring encounter.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We’ve predicted the starting XIs of all eight Premier League teams.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 29!
With Euro 2024 kicking off this week, Fantasy Football Scout has an exclusive Premium Membership offer!
Our special Euros package is a 40% discount to our full-price Premium Membership, so for only £3.25 per month (billed annually), you get access to our unique Premium Members Area, which has all the data you need to succeed in Euro Fantasy.
Premium Members can now get that extra edge for their preparations with official Euro 2024 qualification and friendly data, as well as all the usual benefits like team reveals, a fixture ticker, expert strategy tips and more.
3 months, 35 mins agoAs Maddison was managed over the week and isn't a certain starter, should I get him nevertheless?
I am not on free hit, wanted to get him and Toney for -4 to field 9 players, so it's very important to me to be assured.